'\n I had voices in my head on Father\'s Day. \n\n And I\'ve got a pretty good ear for voices. Ten seconds into a recording, I can usually tell you that we\'re listening to Faron Young or Carla Thomas or Jimmy Witherspoon or <mark>Shirley Horn</mark>. \n\n In fact, just by typing those names, I can instantly conjure up the sounds of their singing (and, in some cases, speaking) voices. \n\n But I realized on Father\'s Day that I\'m now having a hard time remembering what my dad\'s voic...

'WASHINGTON -- If you don\'t think jazz and Washington, D.C. go together, you need to review your D.C. history. As NPR put it: It\'s internationally known as the hometown of Duke Ellington, singer and pianist <mark>Shirley Horn</mark>, pianist Billy Taylor, and saxophonist Frank Wess, but the nation\'s [capital] is seldom recognized as fertile ground for jazz -- at least not like the cities of New York, Chicago, or Philadelphia. More...'

Timeline

CHILDHOOD

1934Birth
Born on May 1, 1934.

TWENTIES

195925 Years Old
Horn had, though, recorded several songs with violinist Stuff Smith in 1959 both as a pianist and a singer.
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After her discovery by Davis, she recorded albums on different small labels in the early 1960s, eventually landing contracts with larger labels Mercury Records and Impulse Records. She was popular with jazz critics, but did not achieve significant popular success.<br /><br /> Quincy Jones attempted to make Horn into a pure vocalist in several recording sessions, something he later hinted may have been a mistake. Horn was also disturbed by the changes in popular music in the 1960s following the arrival of The Beatles. Largely rejecting efforts to remake her into a popular singer, she stated: "I will not stoop to conquer." From the late-1960s, she concentrated on raising her daughter Rainy with her husband, Shepherd Deering (whom she had married in 1955), and largely limited her performances to her native Washington, D.C. Read Less

FIFTIES

199157 Years Old
Miles Davis made a rare appearance as a sideman on Horn's 1991 album You Won't Forget Me.

199258 Years Old
Although she preferred to perform in small settings, such as her trio, she also recorded with orchestras, as on the 1992 album Here's to Life, the title song (lyrics by Phyllis Molinary, music by Artie Butler) of which became her signature song.
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A video documentary of Horn's life and music was released at the same time as "Here's To Life" and shared its title. At the time, arranger Johnny Mandel commented that Horn's piano skill was comparable to that of the noted jazz great Bill Evans. A follow-up was made in 2001, named You're My Thrill.<br /><br /> Horn worked with the same rhythm section for 25 years: Charles Ables (bass) and Steve Williams (drums). Don Heckman wrote in the Los Angeles Times (February 2, 1995) about "the importance of bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams to Horn's sound. Working with boundless subtlety, following her every spontaneous twist and turn, they were the ideal accompanists for a performer who clearly will tolerate nothing less than perfection".<br /><br /> Her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) and I Love You, Paris all reached number one on the Billboard jazz charts. Read Less

LATE ADULTHOOD

Due to health problems in the early 2000s, Horn had to cut back on her performances. Read Less

After 2002, a foot amputation (from complications of diabetes) led her to leave the piano playing to pianist George Mesterhazy.
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In late 2004, Horn felt able to play piano again, and recorded a live album for Verve, at Manhattan's Au Bar with trumpet player Roy Hargrove, which did not satisfy her. It remains unreleased except for tracks on But Beautiful - The Best of Shirley Horn.<br /><br /> A breast cancer survivor, she had been battling diabetes when she died of complications from the condition, aged 71. She is interred at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery in Washington, D.C. <br /><br /> Horn was nominated for nine Grammy Awards during her career, winning the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards for I Remember Miles, a tribute to her friend and mentor (the album's cover featuring a Miles Davis drawing of them both).<br /><br /> She was officially recognized by the 109th US Congress for "her many achievements and contributions to the world of jazz and American culture", and performed at The White House for several U.S. presidents. Read Less

Horn was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music in 2002.